


Tremors (under your skin, under mine)

by SmilinStar



Category: The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-29
Updated: 2014-06-29
Packaged: 2018-02-06 17:42:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,029
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1866675
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SmilinStar/pseuds/SmilinStar
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He stills her right foot with his hand, and she does her best to ignore his thumb currently tracing circles into her skin. “I just don't want to see you getting hurt.” “I'm not going to.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Tremors (under your skin, under mine)

\-----

 

“So . . .” he says, stretching out that one syllable, a teasing lilt to his voice.

 

She waits for the rest of the sentence, knows its coming, knows _exactly_ what's coming.

 

“You and Tyler, huh?”

 

She doesn't look up, continues her disinterested flick through the fashion magazine in her lap.

 

“Me and Tyler what?” she retorts, silently proud at the calm and ease with which the words fall out of her mouth.

 

She can see him shake his head from the corner of her vision, and there may be an amused upturn to his lips to accompany the motion, but she can't be too sure.

 

Always the source of his amusement; and while she's happy she might be the only soul, living or undead, that can get him to turn his frown upside down, it's also a painful reminder of just how deep in the friend-zone she'd been left behind and got herself lost.

 

She hears him sigh, and it sounds rather tired and resigned and though her interest is piqued, she still can't find it in herself to look up.

 

“Are you sure it's a good idea?”

 

She turns another page, lifts her legs on to the couch, curling them up underneath her in the guise of getting more comfortable. “We're friends, I don't see how that's a bad thing.”

 

“Looked a little more than friendly when I walked in.”

 

Turning on the sofa, she leans her back up against the armrest and straightens her legs along the length of it, “I have no idea what you're talking about.”

 

He edges closer and still she refuses to look up and meet his eyes.

 

“You're a terrible liar Caroline.”

 

She wants to cry out a frustrated “what does it even matter to you?” but she knows those words will give too much of her away and so she settles on silence.

 

He sits down at the other end of the couch, and she starts a little when he lifts up her legs and settles them down in his lap. His hand rests just above her ankles, warm, soft hands on her bare skin.

 

Her voice is reasonably steady when she bats back with, “Well, what about you and Elena?”

 

He shakes his head again, the smile on his lips letting her know he knew what had been coming, had been expecting it even. She's so predictable and she can't help her own annoyance at falling so easily into the trap.

 

“I wasn't caught with my tongue down her throat.”

 

“Neither was I,” she snaps back, a smug smirk on her face.

 

He doesn't say anything and this time she can't help it, she has to look up.

 

He's staring out in front of him, face pensive and lost, and she feels like there's something she's missing, something else he isn't saying.

 

She nudges his jean covered thigh with her right foot, “Hey,” she says softly, “What are you brooding about?”

 

He stills her right foot with his hand, and she does her best to ignore his thumb currently tracing circles into her skin.

 

“I just don't want to see you getting hurt.”

 

“I'm not going to.”

 

He raises his eyes and meets hers and there's a challenge in them, the question clear.

 

“I'm not,” she says again, firmly, “That was nothing, a momentary lapse of judgement that won't ever happen again. We don't feel that way about each other any more. I'm not in love with him any more.”

 

_I'm in love with you._

Thankfully she manages to hold that last bit back.

 

“Okay, well good.”

 

“Okay then,” she repeats, and leans back further against the armrest almost into a lying position as her feet edge further across his lap. She becomes hyper-aware of this fact and moves to pull them back, but Stefan's too fast and grasps hold of both legs and keeps them firmly in place.

 

She chances another glance at him, but he's still staring into space and it doesn't look like he's aware of what he's doing. He runs his fingers across her ankles and across the top of her foot, before finding the heel and digs in, gently massaging her skin and the small muscles hiding underneath.

 

She knows he means nothing by it. It's just an absent minded gesture and so she does her best to ignore it. Settling back, she picks up her magazine and tries again to read over the same article for the third time.

 

Except, it's near on impossible. His fingers on her skin feel amazing, and she feels so relaxed she thinks she's just going to fall asleep right there, her exhaustion having finally crept up on her. She lets her head fall back and her eyes close, and she can do nothing to stop the soft little sigh from escaping her lips.

 

His hands still instantly.

 

She can feel his eyes on her, burning her skin.

 

She's sure she's flushing under the heat of his gaze and curses her lack of control.

 

She waits a good thirty seconds. He can't still be looking at her, it must be safe to open her eyes, she thinks, trying to convince herself.

 

But of course, she's wrong.

 

Her eyes meet his, and he hasn't stopped staring at her.

 

His eyes usually so beautifully green are overpowered now by molten gold, only the barest hint of it visible as his irises are reduced to merely a rim around wide dilated pupils.

 

She can feel her heart racing, sure he can hear it too.

 

He's never looked at her like he is now and maybe she's misreading it, because she's never been on the receiving end of it but her heart swells with the hope of _something._

She watches him swallow, open his mouth and choose his words carefully, “I'm glad I don't have anything to worry about.”

 

He could mean so many things with those words but by the way his eyes caress her face and linger on her lips, there's only really one way he meant them.

 

“You don't.”

 

She hopes he catches her drift.

 

From the smile on his face and his fingers on her skin, she knows he does.

 

 

  **End.**

 


End file.
